Monthly archive: April, 2012

Give us your 2012 Draft Grade

April 28, 2012, by 5 comments

NFL Draft Day Three: Live Chat Transcript

April 28, 2012, by No comments yet

Vikings Day Three Haul – Quick Reactions

April 28, 2012, by 14 comments

Here is the rundown so far:

FOURTH ROUND

#118 Jarius Wright, WR, Arkansas: Often compared to Percy Harvin from a skill set standpoint, Wright offers some much needed speed to this offense and could end up being quite the playmaker.  Expect to see him contribute most on special teams as a return man through his rookie season.

#128  Rhett Ellison, FB/TE, USC:  Matt Kalil’s teammate at USC could end up trying to fill Jim Kleinsasser’s shoes as a versatile blocker, rounding out the depth chart at tight end.  This could spell trouble for the many various fullbacks on this roster already.

#134  Greg Childs, WR, Arkansas:  Apparently Rick Spielman was impressed with Arkansas’ receivers this year.  Childs represents a very solid value here and could look to compete for a starting gig from the get-go.  A real Height-Weight-Speed prospect that could end up dominating.

FIFTH ROUND

#139  Robert Blanton, CB/S, Notre Dame:  Probably off the roster right away unless he transitions successfully to safety.  Blanton, a teammate of Harrison Smith, is not going to blow anyone away physically but he has some experience and leadership abilities.  I think this was a reach and he will struggle to find a roster spot as a special teams guy.

SIXTH ROUND

#175  Blair Walsh, K, Georgia:  With Greg Zuerlin going just a few picks ahead of them, this pick smells like panic to me.  Walsh had a horrible senior campaign and while I was a fan of finding a replacement for Ryan Longwell, I don’t have any confidence that Walsh can be that guy.  A huge reach.

SEVENTH ROUND

#210:  Audie Cole, LB, North Carolina Sate:  The Vikings got a lot of value here, as Cole could have gone much higher than this.  He is a talented linebacker that, even from the seventh round, could provide competition with Jasper Brinkley.  He has better range.

#219:  Trevor Guyton, DE, Cal:  It doesn’t seem like Guyton has a super high ceiling, but he could prove to be a solid depth player.  A sure tackler with some burst off the line.

With Nine Picks To Go, Who Could We See?

April 28, 2012, by 5 comments

Tired of the long wait between Vikings selections?  Well, get ready to roll!

The Vikings have the following nine picks in the remaining four rounds of the 2012 NFL Draft:

Fourth Round:  118, 128, & 134

Fifth Round:  138 & 139

Sixth Round:  175

Seventh Round:  210, 211, & 223

That’s a pretty impressive stockpile of picks that they can use to bolster what is already regarded to be a pretty solid draft class.  They have two opportunities to make back-to-back picks which is always a fun twist during the Draft.

Now, I want to take a look at each position and what we might expect the Vikings to do at each one on the last day of the Draft.  Also, I’ll name a few prospects that still remain and could be potential targets.

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Stadium Situation Coming Down To The Wire

April 28, 2012, by No comments yet

The Minnesota Capitol is hoping to adjourn the current session by Monday evening.

That means, in order for the Vikings to have a stadium bill passed this year, it will either have to happen very soon or be taken care of in a special session.  Signs continue to point towards a vote taking place on the floor of both the House and the Senate before the deadline.

The latest news regarding the stadium bill is that a 7-6 vote narrowly let it escape the Senate Taxes Committee after some heated debate took place.  Most of the squabbling centers on the sources of funding trying to be used, particularly the portions involving an increase of gambling.

It is possible that votes will come on the bill either Sunday or Monday.

LIVE CHAT: Day Two Transcript

April 28, 2012, by No comments yet

Submitted to the official record, herein lies the transcript of our day two live chat.

It was a fun day and I appreciate everyone that attended.

Day three looks to have even more more action than the first two days combined!

A Closer Look At Josh Robinson

April 28, 2012, by 1 comment

Earlier today, the Vikings took another step forward in improving their roster and, more specifically, bolstering their lackluster secondary. After surprising a few people and choosing to stay put with their pick at the top of the third round, the Vikings selected Central Florida cornerback Josh Robinson. Robinson, although probably not an immediate starter has tons of upside and should be able to challenge some of the current starters for roster spots. Let’s take an even closer look at the pick, some of Josh Robinson’s strengths and weaknesses and how he could immediately contribute to the Minnesota Vikings.

Earlier this morning, I predicted that at some point in Day 2 of the NFL Draft, Spielman and the Vikings would participate in a trade. While it never ended up happening, there was ample opportunity for Spielman to move around. According to the Vikings General Manger, they received “plenty of calls” from other teams looking to move back into the third round and targeting them  as a potential trade partner. Instead, Spielman choose to stay patient and see what type of value would be available when the team selected at the beginning of the third

“I wanted to stay patient,” Spielman said. “I don’t want to lose all the ammunition that we have for (Saturday) and we have a lot of picks. We did get a lot of calls about trading into the second round, and when you see the board develop, you sit there and you see you have three or four options still and you’re holding your breath.”

At our Live Draft Chat, we were holding our breath, too. One of those options a majority of us were hoping would still be available for the Vikings pick was LSU wide receiver Reuben Randle who strangely fell much further down than expected by most. Reuben Randle was selected by the New York Giants right before the Vikings selection. Another player the team coveted and have met with at Winter Park was cornerback Trumaine Johnson who was also selected right before the Vikings were on the clock by the St. Louis Rams. Fortunately, the Vikings were still able to nab a great talent like Josh Robinson with their pick.

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